In 1 Kings 2, King David goes the way of all the earth, and his chosen heir Solomon inherits the throne. But Adonijah, “a very handsome man” and Solomon’s older brother, has already set his sights on ruling Israel. Adonijah has already previously been put quickly in his place (1 Kings 1:50-53), and so nowContinue reading “Queen Mothers of Judah”
Category Archives: 1 Kings
High Places
Repetition is God’s signposting. Sometimes it takes me a while to spot a pattern, but then God brings it up again. And again. And again. I’ve said it before, but this textual maneuver means God wants us to do the work of asking Him to reveal what He is saying. And IF I’ve been payingContinue reading “High Places”
The Weight of Waiting
“When Your people Israel are defeated before an enemy, because they have sinned against You, if they turn to You again and confess Your name and pray and make supplication to You in this house, 34 then hear in heaven, and forgive the sin of Your people Israel, and bring them back to the land which You gave toContinue reading “The Weight of Waiting”
Women, Men, and the Principle of Proportion
When it comes to the Bible, bigger and more prominent is not always better. For example, it’s a mistake to think that because women don’t appear as often as men in the Old Testament, they are less important in God’s story of redemption. I heard a Biblical Studies scholar say disdainfully some years ago thatContinue reading “Women, Men, and the Principle of Proportion”
The Three Ascensions
The powerful prophet Elijah is a punchy character in God’s story, and I can’t stop thinking about him. In 2 Kings 1:8, King Ahaziah’s men describe him as “a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins”. Maybe I have a thing for hairy loners? Maybe I find Elijah so compelling because thisContinue reading “The Three Ascensions”
King and Queen of Vegetables
In 1 Kings 21, Ahab the anti-Christ sees Naboth’s vineyard and his wandering eye wants it (Prov 30:17). But Naboth won’t surrender his family’s land inheritance, and Ahab sulks, sullen and sour. This petulent king wants what another man has, but he doesn’t even know a good thing when he sees it. No, he wantsContinue reading “King and Queen of Vegetables”
Choose This Day
The stories of the Bible contain meanings that take more than a lifetime to understand, and their riches are worth the readings and the rigour. But the Bible also offers us many moments of intense clarity, when God cuts to the heart of the matter for us, when He unambiguously articulates what we need toContinue reading “Choose This Day”
The Raven and the Dove
There’s a whirlwind in my mind most days now. Images and ideas appear and disappear, things that can’t quite be seen or put into words. I never know quite when or if or what will settle. It’s a restless space of both knowing and not knowing, being filled up and wanting to be filled again.Continue reading “The Raven and the Dove”
Troublers of Israel
I love the plain-spoken prophets, bold and blunt, unsettlers of powerful people. For instance, when King Ahab of Israel finally sees the prophet Elijah, that elusive truth-teller he’s been hunting high and low, he says, wearily, “Is that you, you troubler of Israel?” But of course Elijah isn’t the real troublemaker. It’s Ahab, and ElijahContinue reading “Troublers of Israel”
Iron and Rock
Along with my favs – grapes and hair – I’ve been tracking rocks and iron. So imagine my joy when I came across this text in 1 Kings, when Solomon builds the Temple. The stones used in the construction of the Temple were finished at the quarry, so there was no sound of hammer, ax,Continue reading “Iron and Rock”
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